This invention is directed to a device and a method for removing ticks from domesticated animals and human beings. Ticks are common in woodlands and grasslands and are even found in the backyards of modern suburbia. Wild animals, particularly deer and mice are bitten and carry ticks spreading them over wide areas. Domesticated animals such as dogs and cats fall prey to the tick, which after grabbing hold of the new host, buries its head through the epidermis to feed on the blood of the host. During walks in woods or fields, persons, with or without an accompanying pet, may suddenly discover that a tick has imbedded itself someplace on the person's or the pet's body. Common pocket tools are of little help. It would be counter productive to use a knife or even tweezers to cut off the tick's body leaving the head imbedded under the skin. This would likely cause an infection. More careful use of tweezers to remove ticks is only marginally effective since it is not desirable to squeeze the body of the tick and risk forcing liquids from the inside of the tick into the person or the pet. It is difficult to grasp only the neck of the tick as it is hardly visible. The task of removing a tick from a pet is particularly difficult when the host animal is struggling in the hands of the person removing the tick. Carrying various chemicals and other equipment to coax the tick out of the skin is impractical, generally ineffective, at the least a bother, and are not easily used out in the woods. Chemicals that sting exacerbate the suffering of the animal.
The most common problem with ticks is the pet owner having to remove them from a struggling and, most times, uncooperative animal. Various devices have been provided to remove ticks from the body, but none satisfy the needs above nor attain the objects described herein below. These devices include a tick remover for people and animals in U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,347 to Butler. The Butler device brings two jaws together to grasp the neck of the tick and pull it free. As noted in the Butler specification, it is not desirable to squeeze the body of the tick. Some ticks, such as deer ticks, are small and with this type of device, it is difficult to avoid squeezing the body before removing the tick. Another tick removing device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,764 to Glaberson. This device utilizes a wire loop attached to a grasping handle. The loop is placed around the body of the tick and adjusted so that the loop fits on the tick's neck, after which the device is pulled away from the skin pulling the head of the tick from the host's body. Again, smaller ticks are more difficult to handle with this kind of device and the tick commonly ends up popping off to another part of the animal's body or to the ground making it difficult to relocate. Another device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,306 to Huffman utilizes a hot needle which is used to pierce the tick. Devices for other uses include a device for removing splinters in U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,195 to Gollobin and a skin conditioning device described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,965,861 to Schneider.